This past Sunday the American Reformation Church celebrated our third-year anniversary. On October 31st, 2023, in honor of the Reformation, we planted the vision and mission of ARC. Our main emphasis was Faith, Fatherhood, Family, and Freedom. We sought the Lord to establish a Kingdom headquarters in Brevard County, Florida to reach the lost, disciple the saints, be salt and light, and advance God’s Kingdom in the earth.
Our righteous goal was to be mission minded, train a people zealous for good works, and have a fellowship that worshipped God in Spirit and truth and practiced a sincere and genuine love and faith. To be there for one another and bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
The celebration was met with the worst storm this area of Florida has experienced in a long time. Some even called it, “A thousand-year storm.” We rented a park, set up, with the storm threatening, and prayed for the Lord to hold back the deluge. The storm was supposed to hit at 9:30 AM and our service started at 10:30. The Lord allowed us to conduct our worship service, pray, give testimony, and enjoy a great feast of food and fellowship before the sky opened and the deluge came. It was awesome to behold.
As the Lord would have it, our perseverance paid off for a lost soul. A troubled young lady woke up that morning and asked her father to take her to church. The father saw us setting up at the park and suggested she join us.
She came and the Lord rocked her world. The ladies ministered to her and prayed for her. The men preached the Gospel, and she surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. The Scriptures reminds us, “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Let’s just say, there was also a lot of rejoicing amongst the drenched saints who witnessed God’s goodness towards a very troubled young lady.
ARC is a church that seeks to be built upon the solid rock of our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Word, fueled by prayer, and sustained by His grip of grace (Acts 2:42-47).
We celebrated three years of God's goodness, faithfulness, and provision. Three years may seem like a short time in the life of a church, but every year represents answered prayers, lessons learned, challenges overcome, and lives transformed by the Gospel. And who is sufficient for these things? Our sufficiency is from Christ, who promised to build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail (2 Corinthians 3:5; Matthew 16:18).
Prayer reminds us that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it (Psalms 127:1). We may organize the services, prepare the sermons, teach the lessons, and reach out to the community, but only God can change hearts and build His church.
We pray because we cannot manufacture spiritual growth. We pray because we cannot produce genuine repentance. We pray because we cannot save a single soul. We pray because we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to fill us and overflow us to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:18).
Colossians 4:2 states, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." As we celebrated three years of God’s grace towards ARC, let us commit ourselves to pressing on to the high call and prize in Jesus’ name!
We celebrated this third anniversary, but remember these three important things: Look backward with gratitude: God has brought us this far. Samuel stated, “Thus far the Lord has helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12).
Look around with love: God us His Son and one another to do life together and serve His purposes as a church family.
Look forward with faith: God still has Kingdom work for us to accomplish for His glory and the benefit of others. Amen!
